Tag Archives: TimeControl Industrial

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TimeControl Industrial 7.1 now available

On the heels of the release two days ago of TimeControl version 7.1 we’re delighted to announce the availability of TimeControl Industrial 7.1 . You can find out all about the amazing updates and changes of TimeControl 7.1 on yesterday’s blog post.  All of the features mentioned in the release of TimeControl 7.1 are also available in TimeControl Industrial 7.1  so we’ll focus today on the significant changes in TimeControl Industrial in this version.

TimeControl Industrial’s last version was 6.9 so this is a major upgrade to the Industrial Edition that includes all of the changes in version 6.10 of TimeControl and the evolution in version 7 to the multi-browser, multi-device architecture.   So this upgrade will be a signficiant one for TimeControl Industrial users.

Here are the new and enhanced features in TimeControl Industrial 7.1 that go beyond what was already in TimeControl 7.1:

TimeControl Industrial Crew Timesheets

tci71_crewtimesheet_300x240TimeControl Industrial’s core is built around the Crew Timesheet.  This addition to the classic TimeControl interface allows field data collection to amass high volumes of production values and enter them in a single interface.  This version of TimeControl has a completely rewritten version of the TimeControl Crew Timesheet which is built in TimeControl’s multi-device, multi-browser architecture.  There is no longer any ActiveX to be installed or anything else that is required on the browser.  The Crew Timesheet now works with virtually any browser including Firefox, Safari, Chrome, Mozilla, and of course, Internet Explorer.  There are other tools within the TimeControl Industrial Crew timesheet including the timesheet worksheet, materials entry and much, much more.

TimeControl Industrial Crew Timesheets Material Entry

Within the new TimeControl Industrial Crew Timesheet is a completely new Material Entry interface.  This tab of the Crew Timesheet allows non-labor entries for Material consumed, Equipment used and Production accomplished.  This area of the Crew Timesheet has been completely rewritten in version 7’s multi-browser, multi-device architecture.  The Material Tab duplicates the functionality of the main Material Entry screens except that approvals for these non-labor entries will be part of this crew timesheet’s approvals.  This will be particularly attractive to organizations who wish to do crew labor and non-labor approvals simultaneously through the same approval path.

TimeControl Industrial Material / Equipment /Production Entry

Aside from the tab on the TimeControl Industrial Crew Timesheet, TimeControl also has the main Material Entry module which has been rewritten in its entirety into the TimeControl 7 multi-device, multi-browser architecture.  This module allows the field data collection of non-labor entries such as Material, Equipment and Accomplished Production to be entered separately from the crew timesheet and approved along its own approval path.  This allows non-labor data collection and approvals to happen at times that don’t match the crew timesheet which is often the situation.

All TimeControl Industrial interface now in new Architecture

All remaining elements of the TimeControl Industrial interface have now been moved out of the old ActiveX controls and into the new TimeControl 7 multi-browser, multi-device architecture.  This means that users are no longer tied to only using Windows and Internet Explorer devices but can now use Firefox, Safari, Chrome, Mozilla or other browsers on their preferred devices to perform all of the TimeControl Industrial functions.  This includes Crew Management Crew Posting, Material Posting, Extended Rates management, Approvals and more.

And so much more…

Aside from these changes, there are also so many more that are now part of TimeControl Industrial from versions 6.10 and 7.0 TimeControl including: Sheduled Imports and Exports, Enhanced Reporting, Flexible Periods, the new Calendar View, the new GANTT view, Table Validation Rules, P6 Role support, Pay Periods, Windows Single Sign On and more.  There are also many more changes under the covers including performance improvements for high capacity or high volume implementations, ergonomic improvements to many of the screens, and improvements to the table interface which makes it faster to perform most functions.

You can get it now!

TimeControl Industrial version 7.1 is available immediately.  Find out more about the new features at Industrial.TimeControl.com/features/latest.  Existing users with a current support contract can access the upgrade at no charge at Industrial.TimeControl.com/support/updates.  For more information about your support status or to speak to HMS Technical services to request assistance with your upgrade, contact info@hms.ca.

Industrial users of TimeControlOnline users will be updated automatically in the coming weeks.

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FAQ: Timesheets by Exception

autofill.jpgCan TimeControl support timesheets entered only by exception? We have some operational staff who do the same thing all the time and are on salary so the only time we need their timesheet is when they need to book sick leave or vacation.

You can do timesheets by exception.  But, more importantly, you can do timesheets by exception for some staff while doing positive-entry timesheets for everyone else.  A positive-entry timesheet is one where an employee is expected to enter the timesheet with what they did with their time each day.  An exception timesheet is one where the employee typically does the same task each day so tracking their day-to-day activities is not important.  In their case, we’d like to default their timesheet to a standard week (for example: 40 hours of “in attendance”). Those employees would only have to make an entry for an “exception” such as vacation or sick leave or personal time off.

TimeControl includes a function called “Autofill” that automatically fills a timesheet for any employee in this category to the maximum per day required.  If there are no entries for that person, a complete week is filled in.  If there are some exception entries, only the gaps are filled in.  In this manner we can accommodate both exception timesheet employees and positive-entry timesheet employees.  More on this and other HR-related functions can be found at: http://www.timecontrol.com/use-cases/human-resources

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What is the difference between TimeControl and TimeControl Industrial?

industrial_300x180.jpgBoth products are part of the TimeControl family. TimeControl Industrial includes everything that the regular TimeControl has but adds modules and functionality to extend TimeControl in ways that are more appropriate for construction or industrial situations where end users will not be filling in their own timesheets.

Imagine a situation such as a construction site where there might be hundreds or even thousands of workers in the field working on our project today.  They are all managed by supervisors and may even have a time and attendance system to make sure they get paid properly.  But, management is having a terrible time trying to figure out what the exact cost of each project tasks is.  Yet these carpenters, welders, pipefitters and drivers aren’t expected to sit down at a PC and fill out a timesheet.  This is the world that TimeControl Industrial was designed for.  TimeControl supports high-volume entries by supervisors or data entry clerks who enter the timesheet data in crew timesheets on behalf of the employees who have finished their shift.

TimeControl Industrial is popular in industries like mining, heavy construction, utilities and infrastructure operations.  The additional modules in TimeControl Industrial include:

  • Crew timesheet entry
  • Non-Labor entry for materials, equipment and production accomplished entry
  • Extended Labor Rates
  • Extended Non-Labor Rates
  • Crew Management
  • Crew Approvals
  • Non-Labor Approvals

You can find out more about TimeControl Industrial and see it in action at industrial.timecontrol.com.

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Scheduled Imports and Exports

TC610_import_250x221TimeControl was designed from its very first version in 1994 to be able to integrate with other applications.  We knew from the first timesheet we’d ever created 10 years earlier that timesheet data would be sought after by external systems for departments such as HR and Payroll as well as the project management needs we were already familiar with.  So these features have had continual improvement as TimeControl has evolved.  Did you know that as of version 6.10 of TimeControl and TimeControl Industrial you can now automatically schedule an import or an export of data for external systems?  Most ERP administrators far prefer the idea of scheduling an import of a transaction file from timesheets using the tools and controls already present in their finance system.  Prior to version 6.10, TimeControl administrators had to create these files on demand.  Now, however, you can schedule the creation of such files.  The new Schedule Export allows you not only to pick a time, format and definition of the file.  You can also choose the filter and even the naming convention.  The new Schedule Import allows you to not only import a file that has been dropped in place by an external system but also how to dispose of the file afterwards.  For example, you can move the file into a directory used for processed files.

You can see what else is new with version 6.10 at www.timecontrol.com/features/latest.